Lullaby And Good Night, My Angel
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: I promised I would never leave you. And you should always know wherever you may go, no matter where you are, I never will be far away...


Wow, this story took forever to write! LOL. But I finally got it down, and it is an AU story. None of this stupid Cameron and Chase crap (which hopefully will end soon) so beware if you like them. I don't ship them at all. It's a sort of late birthday present for my dad, who sang this song to me when I was a baby. The song is Billy Joel's Lullaby (Good Night, My Angel), and is still one of my favorite songs to this day. Billy Joel songs have always reminded me of House, and there are a couple more that I would like to write for this fandom. So enjoy, and please remember to review!

**For my dad. Happy birthday, Dad!**

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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Fussy children was one of the few top things that Dr. Gregory House couldn't handle well.

Children never really bothered him. In fact, most of the time, they were completely tolerable. They didn't lie, they weren't shy about showing their true colors, and he always appreciated those qualities in human beings. But it was a completely separate issue when the child was a month old and screaming for no apparent reason.

Finally he rolled out of the bed, grimacing at the pain in his leg. For a moment he rubbed the complaining area, then when the pain finally lessened enough for him to stand, he rose to his feet and leaned heavily on his cane. Then he limped over to the crib just a few steps from his bed.

In the crib lay his tiny, seven pound daughter, and once again he was stricken by the fact that he'd had a hand in creating her. Leaning down, he gently scooped her up with his left hand. Then he cuddled her to his broad chest, making sure that she was safely situated before he carried her out of the darkened bedroom.

She continued to wail incessantly and wave her tiny fists in the air as he shuffled awkwardly into the kitchen for a bottle. Her diaper was dry, so by reasonable deduction, she had to be hungry. Hushing her to no avail, he set her in her carseat on the kitchen counter, making sure that she was completely situated before he went for a bottle.

As he warmed up the bottle, the baby's screams grew more frustrated and impatient, and he huffed. "I'm getting it," he told her, but it did nothing to comfort her.

Finally the bottle was ready, and he checked the formula before shuffling back to the baby's carseat. "Here..." He offered the rubber nipple to her and waited.

She refused to take the bottle, and instead waved her little arms in irritation.

He arched a dark brow. "Okay, what's wrong with you?" He tried the bottle again, his anxiety rising when she still refused it.

After several more tries, he finally gave up and returned the bottle to the fridge. Then he grabbed the carseat and carried it into the living room. "Why don't you just stop crying, and we can both get back to sleep," he muttered, setting her carrier on the couch.

The baby quieted for a moment, studying him. Then she broke out in another heartbreaking wail.

Sighing, House sat down on his piano bench and shook his head. "Come on, kid," he groused. "I have to get my twelve hours in so I can buy you more formula." He did not know why he even bothered. It just went straight through her.

That didn't appease her.

He sighed, still annoyed. Turning slightly, he ran his long, calloused fingers over the ivory keys of his Steinway piano. Then he pressed down lightly and closed his eyes as music filled his ears.

As the soothing melody played, the baby's cries softened, until the sobs were replaced by soft hiccups.

House couldn't stop the small smile as his daughter calmed down. Music, particularly his piano playing, soothed her. Yes, this was definitely his child. He looked over at her. "You think that's good? Listen to this." He turned completely and settled his fingers over the keys.

_Goodnight, my angel, time to close your eyes _

_And save these questions for another day _

_I think I know what you've been asking me _

_I think you know what I've been trying to say_

He closed his eyes for a moment. Somehow, he had never pictured himself doing this, playing a lullaby on his piano in the middle of the night to soothe his fussy child. Hell, he had never pictured himself with children, period. Being an only child, his mother had always pressed him to settle down with a nice girl and give her grandchildren. Being the only son, his father had urged him to get married and have kids, so that the House name would continue.

But in all honesty, he always thought that the name would die with him.

He was content being by himself and avoiding the inevitable pain that came along with becoming intimate with someone, and their eventual departure. He had learned that lesson with Stacy, and he wasn't about to go through that again. He had built a wall around his surprisingly fragile heart to protect it from anything and everything.

His call in life was to solve puzzles, to cure what others saw as incurable. He thrived on that, and he was happy enough with it. Nowhere was there any thought of marriage, or children. That was for normal people, not him. He was a lonely misanthrope, and it was his destiny to remain that way until the day he overdosed or died in a fiery crash.

Yes, he thought he had everything figured out. That was, until a soft spoken, bright eyed brunette walked in to apply for a position on his team. He had hired her right there on the spot. There was just something about her that intrigued him, and he wanted her around him more.

He opened his eyes and glanced at his daughter, who was watching him quietly.

Allison Cameron had quickly become a permanent fixture, in work and in his life. And everything went smoothly, until she had made her feelings about him very clear. That had scared the hell out of him and sent him running. She was so beautiful, but so naive. She had no idea of what he was truly like, or the cruel bastard that he could be at times. So he tried numerous times to scare her off. But whatever he did, it never seemed to work. Instead, she grew closer to him.

What she saw in him, he never completely understood. Then after fighting it for so long, he finally gave in to her. And it seemed that something shifted when he did. Something drastically changed in their dynamics. And it scared the hell out of him.

He glanced over at the bright eyed child again. They had never talked about kids. He felt that he was too old, and she had promised that she was content just being with him. They had a routine, a life, careers, and plans that didn't really include children. So he was shocked, and vaguely terrified, when she came to him and told him that she was pregnant, and it was his child.

His life was messed up as it was. How was he going to take care of a kid, and not eventually screw it up for life? It just did not seem possible.

Then they had laid that little creature in his arms, his daughter. Suddenly his fears weren't as stark as they had been for the past nine months, and finally he felt as though he could actually do this. He could raise a child and not completely destroy this little life that he'd had a hand in creating.

_I promised I would never leave you _

_And you should always know _

_Wherever you may go, no matter where you are _

_I never will be far away_

She truly was a beautiful little girl, with round cheeks and a soft downy of dark hair on her tiny head. She had his cerulean eyes, and that was all he hoped that she had inherited from him. His life, while it had suited him fine, was not suitable for a child, any child. Especially his.

Sometimes he still had a hard time saying that. His child. His daughter. She had his DNA, his genetic makeup. But he hoped that she would look like her mother.

His long, graceful fingers moved slowly over the ivory keys of his beloved piano.

Maybe she would even be a musical prodigy. He hoped that would be the case. Music was one of the few joys that still remained in his life.

The baby squirmed restlessly in her carseat, making soft noises.

He glanced over at her. "It's okay, kid. I know I told your Uncle Jimmy that I was going to sell you to the zoo, but that's just a little thing called humor. Don't worry, you'll get it eventually."

She settled down again and watched his face intently.

What he saw there unnerved them, and House returned his eyes to the ivory piano keys in front of him.

_Good night, my angel, now it's time to sleep _

_And still so many things I want to say _

_Remember all the songs you sang for me?_

_When we went sailing on an emerald bay_

His eyes drifted shut for a moment, and in his mind, he could see Cameron's sweet smiling face. She often teased him because he never used her first name, but it didn't seem to really bother her. She had always been Cameron to him, for as long as they had known each other. Why change it now?

They were in no rush to do anything huge, and he liked that about her. She had already been married, and he'd been in a committed relationship for five years that nearly destroyed him. So they were quite content to go at their own pace, doing things there way.

Until she got pregnant.

And even then, their routine, their lifestyle, only changed a little. She continued to work until Cuddy finally put her on maternity leave, and he continued to be himself. But even he couldn't deny the small changes that reared up every day, like remembering to bring home some ice cream or buying her a foot spa. She was carrying his child, after all.

His eyes drifted down to his finger, where a simple golden band had taken residence. There had been no flowery proposal, no kneeling down and offering her the ring. He had just asked one night after work, and for some reason, she had been crazy enough to say yes.

The ceremony, if it could be called that, was incredibly small. Her parents had been there, along with his mother, Cuddy and Wilson to witness. Then they had gone home and consummated the marriage.

He grinned as he remembered how happy she had been, and how he had been the one to make her that happy.

He never thought of himself as husband or father material, but watching his wife pregnant with his baby was truly amazing to him.

Then it had all gone wrong.

His attention was diverted back to his daughter, who had made her premature arrival a month ago and who had only been home for two weeks.

It was only two weeks ago that she was declared healthy enough to go home with him. And he hadn't stopped worrying about her since then. Now that she was home, it was all on him to take care of her, to nurture and love her. He had been a skilled and renowned doctor for years, but it was only now that he actually felt inadequate.

Inadequate. That was a feeling that was very foreign to him. He had always been in control, and it was something that he liked. But looking at his little girl, he felt the control slipping between his fingers.

_And like a boat out on the ocean _

_I'm rocking you to sleep _

_The water's dark and deep inside this ancient heart _

_You'll always be a part of me_

He hummed softly, then slowly pulled back from the piano and got to his feet. "Now it's really time to sleep," he said in a soft but gruff voice. With a technique that he was still perfecting, he leaned over and gathered the sleepy bundle into his free arm. Once she was securely cuddled to his chest, he looked down at her.

She looked back up at him with striking blue eyes, then yawned softly and snuggled into the strong, familiar arms that surrounded her.

Smiling a little, he shuffled back out of the living room and down the hall. There were days where this, having a family and another life completely dependant on him, utterly terrified him. But at this moment, he could pretend that none of those fears existed.

For now, he could act as though he really could do this, nurture, love and protect this little baby in his arms. He could turn a blind eye to the fact that he might screw her up forever. For now, in the dark of the night, he could simply hold her and love her.

Very carefully, he moved her just so, then kissed the top of her soft little head.

Or maybe he wouldn't have to pretend. Maybe he could, in fact, raise her and be the man that his father never was. He had to try. She definitely deserved at least that much.

He carried her back to his bedroom and tenderly laid her in her crib. It all depended on him, on whether or not he was man enough to make her life the best he possibly could.

He had to.

_Good night, my angel, now it's time to dream _

_And dream how wonderful your life will be _

_Someday your child may cry and if you sing this lullaby _

_Then in your heart there will always be a part of me_

He leaned against the crib and reached down, resting a large paw over Cameron's belly. She barely stirred, and he smiled a little. Sure, he longed for those nights when the only thing that awoke him was a gentle caress from his wife, or the throbbing pain in his leg. But would he change where his life had ended up?

The answer surprised him. He really wouldn't change this moment he was in. Leaning over, he pressed a soft kiss to his daughter's forehead. "You're lucky, kid," he whispered, interrupting the tranquility of the night. "I said I'd never have kids."

The baby sighed softly.

He nodded, running his thumb along her tiny arm. "But you're here now. I know I'm not much, but I'm your dad. And I'll try to make it up to you."

With a brief sigh, he leaned over and kissed her little forehead. Then he slowly pulled back, watching her for a moment before he shuffled back to the bed.

As he sat down on the mattress, he rubbed his calloused hand over his face. His sleeping wife stirred beside him, reminding him that he was never alone in this. He closed his eyes, thanking whatever was out there that brought her to him. Fate, coincidence, or just dumb luck... Whatever it was, he was just... happy. Happy that it had introduced her to him, and that she was there with him now.

Setting his cane aside, he carefully stretched his lanky form along the mattress. Then he turned onto his side and drew his wife into his arms and hugged her gently.

She sighed and snuggled into him, draping her arm over his chest.

Turning his head, he kissed her hair and sighed. He definitely wasn't the best choice she could have made, as far as a husband. But now that he had her, he couldn't imagine letting her out of his arms ever again.

She was his, and even though he would never admit it out loud, he was hers. He always would be, for as long as she would have him around.

He glanced over at the crib, then laid his head down again and closed his eyes.

He would be able to do this, somehow.

_Someday we'll all be gone _

_But lullabies go on and on _

_They never die _

_That's how you and I will be_

The End.

A/N: I love writing House as a daddy, especially when he's a daddy to Cameron's baby! Yay Hameron! Thanks for reading, and please remember to review!


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